1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telephone answering device (TAD) wherein the number of rings encountered before the TAD begins its outgoing announcing message is user programmable based on incoming call related information.
2. Description of Related Art
A TAD is useful in today's world, e.g., to capture and playback voice messages received while the user is not able to answer the call. Typically, a TAD will not pick-up the incoming call until a pre-selected number of rings have occurred. This enables a user time to answer the telephone before the TAD initiates an outgoing announcing message. Otherwise, the TAD will receive and store a voice message from the caller.
Conventional TADs permit a user to manually set the number of rings encountered before the device begins its announcing message sequence. Generally, a TAD has three manually selectable ring count options such as one ring, two rings or four rings before the pre-stored outgoing announcing message is initiated. Generally, the one ring and two ring options are not popular selections since there may not be enough time for one to answer the telephone before the outgoing announcing message is initiated. Thus. typically, the four ring option is most often selected.
There are certain circumstances when it may not be desirable to wait for four rings to occur prior to the initiation of the outgoing announcing message and subsequent voice message and recording sequence. For example, when one is accessing his or her own TAD remotely to check messages and is therefore not home to answer the telephone. In such a case, it is inconvenient to wait until four rings have occurred before being able to direct the TAD to playback any stored voice messages.
In addition, it may be desirable to wait more than four rings before a TAD initiates an outgoing announcing message, e.g., for call screening purposes, or to allow a facsimile machine connected to the telephone line time to pick-up. However, conventional TADs either require a manual switch to be set to make any change to a ring count setting. Conventional TADs do not change ring count on a call-to-call basis, and thus provide no assistance for call screening purposes while in an on-hook condition.
There is a need for a TAD having flexibility which allows adjustment of the ring count on a call-to-call basis so as to require a few rings before answering when a user is not home, to require an increased number of rings for certain callers such as family, and to allow a facsimile machine time to answer an incoming facsimile.